Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands Travel Guide

Blessed with sun-soaked, coconut palm-fringed beaches and
crystalline waters, the remote and unspoiled archipelago of nearly
a thousand islands and atolls of the Solomon Islands is becoming an
increasingly popular eco-tourism destination, offering world-class
snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and surfing.

Much of the country's economy is still based on subsistence
fishing and, although the Solomon Islands deserves to be a world
beater of a tourist destination. An unfortunate lack of
infrastructure and amenities has kept the growth of the country's
tourism sector in check. This is great news for those seeking a
beach holiday in a tropical paradise but who don't want to go
anywhere where the effects of mass tourism are already
widespread.

Sprinkled across the South Pacific, these Melanesian islands
have seen a lot of history. It is believed that Papuan-speaking
settlers arrived around 30,000 BC, while the first European to
discover these gems was Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira, a Spanish
navigator who set out from Peru in 1893. During WWII, the Solomon
Islands saw some fierce battles between the Japanese and the Allied
forces, including the Battle of Guadalcanal, and the shipwreck
graveyards beneath the turquoise waters bear testament to this.

Explore some of the world's most diverse aquamarine life, while
landlubbers can marvel at the islands' unique animals and plants,
majestic volcanoes, and the world's rarest orchid. History buffs
will love the WWII historical sites such as Iron Bottom Sound,
where the remnants of sunken vessels lie in their watery graves.
Popular islands and groups within the archipelago include
Guadalcanal, Santa Cruz, and Choiseul. The capital city of Honiara
on Guadalcanal has a number of interesting historical sites and a
bustling Central Market for souvenir shopping, along with several
restaurants and nightclubs.